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An engine from the Bluffton Township Fire District, however, was sent to assist the busy Hilton Head department, officials said.

In Beaufort, the fire department called in off-duty firefighters and put a reserve fire engine into service as firefighters scurried to reports of lightning strikes.

Firefighters were called to the 1300 block of Charles Street just after 3 p.m. after a resident called 911 to report heavy smoke coming from a neighbor's home, said Lt. Dan Byrne, Beaufort Fire Department spokesman.

Byrne said fire investigators believe lightning struck a shed that housed the home's water heater. The shed was connected to the home.

Firefighters cautiously extinguished the blaze after a military crate was found in the shed with markings indicating it contained heavy explosives. The contents of the crate turned out to be a Christmas tree and other holiday decorations.

No injuries were reported.

About 20 minutes after the call on Charles Street, Beaufort County emergency dispatchers sent firefighters to four other reports of possible structure fires caused by lightning strikes, including one on 9th Street in Port Royal, where a a fire started inside the wall of a home.

Byrne said the house sustained moderate damage because firefighters had to break a window and rip out a windowsill to extinguish the fire. A tarp was placed over the window by firefighters before leaving the scene, he said.

As they departed, firefighters again were dispatched to a weather-related call.

Byrne said a large tree fell across Paris Avenue in Port Royal, taking a power line with it and tearing the lines from the side of a nearby home. There were no signs of a fire inside the home, he said.